


eddie, my love

by panicked_introvert



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asthma, Best Friends, Coming Out, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Driving, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Mess, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Gay Male Character, Getting Together, Holding Hands, Homecoming, Kissing in the Rain, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Queer Character, Rain, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, School Dances, Shyness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 05:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21238763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panicked_introvert/pseuds/panicked_introvert
Summary: "Oh god, Eddie…" Richie thought to himself. "...if only you knew the kinds of things you make me feel."A modern highschool au for Stephen King's It. This is my first work for this fandom, so hopefully you all enjoy it!





	eddie, my love

**** Richie Tozier had a serious problem.

His problem, in question, didn’t meet a lot of people’s criteria for a serious issue. In fact, most people wouldn’t even consider it an issue at all. But Richie knew better… it was a very, very,  _ very _ serious problem, and he had absolutely no idea what to do about it. That was because his issue didn’t present itself in the form of schoolwork, family, or any other area where other people would tend to have misfortune. Rather, his problem presented itself in the breathtaking form of mousy-brown hair and bluish grey eyes that belonged to his best friend, Eddie Kaspbrak. 

Eddie was a unique boy, as his mother and some of his teachers tended to call him. He wasn’t like the other students in their overcrowded high school, mostly because he didn’t fit into the “loud, self-absorbed prick” category that Richie had ever so kindly stereotyped many people at school of being. No, Eddie was practically everything but that… he was fairly quiet and shy, but he was also the most thoughtful and loving person he had ever met. Richie had known Eddie since third grade, and he had automatically known how different he was when he witnessed the brunet attempting to save a snail that had crawled across the playground and made its way into the area of some other boys’ soccer game. Yes, he had ended up getting nailed in the head with the ball while trying to rescue the small creature and was promptly sent to the nurse’s office while bawling his eyes out, but that wasn’t the point. Even now, Eddie was one of the most perfect people in the entire world, in Richie’s opinion, which was one of the reasons he now found himself falling for his friend.

However, there were a million different reasons Richie was able to concoct in his mind for why he simply  _ couldn’t _ confess his feelings to Eddie, the most obvious being his sexuality. He had no idea whether Eddie was attracted to girls, guys, or both, but Richie had to assume that he was straight. After all, if Eddie was having a sexuality crisis, he would have come to him about it at this point, right? The two had known each other for eight whole years… there wasn’t a single issue Eddie wouldn’t tell Richie about, especially something such as this. There was a small part of his brain that would often tell him that there was still a miniscule chance that Eddie liked boys, and an even more miniscule chance that Eddie liked  _ him _ , but he had a feeling that it wasn’t true. Either way, Richie didn’t feel like ruining his friendship with Eddie over a stupid little crush-- besides, it was easier to keep his feelings a secret anyways.

Of course, the universe would never allow things to be that simple for Richie. Every time he had a problem, something else would come along to make things even worse than they were before. And this time, the “something else” was homecoming. Homecoming was a huge yearly phenomenon at Richie’s school, and it was considered almost as important as prom. And when Richie began to see members of the student council putting up signs advertising the homecoming dance, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pure dread come over him. He knew for a fact that all of his other friends had knowledge of his crush on Eddie… in fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in the school  _ except _ Eddie knew. Because of this, he had a sneaking suspicion that at least one person would try to convince him to take Eddie to the dance. Richie knew why people would be so enthusiastic about it-- it was a perfect opportunity to not only confess his feelings, but also take his crush out on a date at the same time. But he couldn’t do it-- he was simply too frightened, that was all.

It didn’t take long before the questions started flooding in-- in fact, they began before second period even started. As Richie sat in the back of anatomy class, frantically trying to take notes, he felt something land on his lap. Glancing down, he saw a crumpled piece of paper, and quickly unfolded it, beginning to read the slightly messy handwriting in bright blue gel pen.  _ Are you going with anybody to homecoming? _

Richie knew who it was right away-- it was Stanley Uris, who sat right next to him. He glanced over at the curly-haired blonde for a second, and let out a soft sigh before scribbling a response on the paper and passing it back to him.  _ I know what you’re doing. I’m not asking Eddie, if that’s what you’re getting at. _

Not even ten seconds later, Richie stifled an exasperated noise in his palm as the same piece of paper landed back in his lap. Unfolding it, he had to restrain himself from ripping the note apart upon reading the words  _ Come on, you have to ask him… give me one good reason why you shouldn’t. _ Picking up his pencil, he managed to write out a semi-length response:  _ You know why. He’s probably straight, plus I just don’t want to. If he wants to go with me, he should ask me himself. _

_ Are you kidding me? Eddie’s the most oblivious person in the world!  _ Stan replied.  _ There’s no way in hell he’ll come up with the idea to ask  _ _ anyone _ _ , never mind you. _

_ Well, what do you suggest I do? I’m not asking him, so you better come up with something quick, _ Richie wrote back. 

_ You think I know? Just go up to him and ask him, it’s not that hard!  _

Richie didn’t even bother responding, instead retaliating by shoving the note into the depths of his backpack and flipping Stan off from behind his laptop. Stan didn’t even seem bothered, giving Richie a perfect “you know I’m right” look and nodding his head slowly. Trying his best to ignore the satisfied smirk on Stan’s face, Richie attempted to focus on his teacher’s lecture, typing furiously and pretending that the blonde boy next to him didn’t exist.

~~~

“Stan’s right, y’know…” Mike sighed as he leaned back in one of the rickety cafeteria chairs. “I don’t know why you’re so opposed to asking him…”

“You guys don’t understand!” Richie huffed, crossing his arms in frustration and looking down at the slightly scuffed tiles. “I can’t just  _ ask _ him… what if he doesn’t like guys?”

“J-just ask him as a f-f-friend,” Bill suggested. “Th-that way, it’s not th-th-that weird…”

“It’s not that simple!” Richie protested. “If I take him, he’s gonna find out sooner or later that I like him!”

“You’re overreacting, Richie!” Bev insisted as rested her head on her hand. “You can’t keep making excuses… you’re going to have to do it sooner or later.”

“Do what?”

Whirling around, Richie let out a little squeak when he realized that Eddie was standing behind them-- sweet, adorable, perfect Eddie, holding an enormous stack of books in his arms. “Eddie! Let me get that for you…” Getting to his feet, Richie carefully took Eddie’s books from him, placing down on the table right next to him and gesturing towards the empty seat he had saved for him. “There you go.”

“Oh! Thanks, Richie…” With a heartstopping smile, Eddie sat down near Richie, instantly turning towards the rest of the group. “What were you guys talking about?”

Richie instantly shot a glance towards the others that clearly read,  _ If you tell him, you’re dead _ . As if he could read his mind, Ben spoke up with a little giggle. “Oh, uh… we were just talking about homecoming. It’s coming up in a few weeks, y’know…”

“Oh, I know…” Eddie rested his head on his hands, staring up at the ceiling as though in a daze. “Who are you guys planning on going with?”

“We were just thinking as going as a group,” Stan replied. “Why? Were you… planning on asking someone?”

“I was, actually… but I’m waiting to see if he asks me first.” Eddie shyly looked down at the tabletop with a little smile, tracing little circles on top of his anatomy textbook with his finger. “I’ve been planning on asking him for a few days now…”

Everyone at the table except Eddie glanced over at Richie with a telling expression, causing a deep blush to make its way over the noiret’s face. With a small cough, Richie shifted his table a bit closer to Eddie’s, keeping his voice as calm as possible so as not to hide how nervous he was. “Uh… who is it?”

“I don’t think I should say it… he might hear me.” Eddie glanced around the cafeteria with an excited little giggle, holding his hand over his mouth. “What do you guys think I should do? I don’t want to ruin my chances with him…”

“...I think you should ask him as soon as possible,” Mike replied, staring directly as Richie as he did so. “You don’t want to risk it…”

“Mike’s r-right,” Bill added on, shooting a quick wink towards Richie as he did so. “Who know, m-m-maybe he’ll say yes..”

Eddie seemed to consider this for a moment, slowly nodding his head and tapping his fingers on the table. Finally, he nodded. “That sounds good, I guess… I want it to be perfect, though.” He then turned to Richie with a big smile. “Do you have any ideas?”

_ Why on earth would he ask me? Unless… he’s not going to ask me. He wants to bring someone else to homecoming, doesn’t he? _ At that moment, Richie’s mood took a complete nosedive-- he didn’t know who Eddie intended on asking, but he wanted nothing to do with him. It didn’t even matter that he now knew that Eddie wasn’t straight-- it didn’t serve him any benefit now, did it? Sighing, he looked down at the tabletop, picking at the food on his plate that was beginning to look very unappetizing. “I don’t know… maybe make some sort of poster or something? That’s what a lot of people do…”

“Yeah, but what sort of theme should it have? I know he likes video games, but I feel like it’d be really cheesy if I did that…” Eddie mused.

“I’d say get him a plushie… most people love plushies,” Ben piped up from the end of the table. “Do you know what his favorite type of animal is?”

“He told me a while ago that he really likes koala bears,” Eddie replied with a soft giggle. The sigh of Eddie blushing and laughing over someone else filled Richie with absolute rage and jealousy, and he had to work extremely hard to hide it as Eddie kept talking. “So, should I get him a stuffed koala, then? I think he’d really like that…”

_ I mean, he can’t be too much of a jerk if he likes koalas,  _ Richie thought to himself.  _ But… I like koalas too, and even I know I’m kind of a jerk. _ Sighing, he swept the remainders of his lunch into the trash can nearby, not finding it very appetizing anymore. “I think I’m getting sick… I’ve lost my appetite.” 

“Oh… are you okay? Do you think you have a stomach bug or something?” Eddie instantly turned towards Richie, resting the back of his hand against his forehead to check for a fever. “You feel really warm… and your face is all red. I think you might actually be getting sick…”

“I don’t think that blush is part of his illness, Eddie,” Mike chuckled.

“Shut up,” Richie hissed through his teeth, his deep red blush growing darker by the minute as his fingertips dug into the edge of his shirt. It was almost as if Eddie was deliberately driving him mad, and he had absolutely no idea what to do about it. When Eddie finally removed his hands and turned back to the others, Riche attempted to bring up another subject to distract him… he didn’t feel like talking about homecoming, especially if Eddie was going to fawning over some other boy the entire time. “How do you think you did on that calculus quiz, Eds?”

“I think I did pretty well… it was a lot easier than I thought,” Eddie shrugged.

“That’s what she said.”

“Richie! That doesn’t even make any sense!” Eddie playfully slapped Richie’s arm before continuing on as though nothing happened. However, Richie was barely paying attention, his head swirling with worries and jealousy.  _ Who is this other guy? He’s never talked about knowing any other boys before… and why wouldn’t he talk about it privately with me first? He always talks to me about everything…  _ Trying his best to keep his heartbroken expression hidden, he pretended to be interested in what Eddie was saying, gazing deep into those beautiful blue-grey eyes with a weak smile.  _ Oh god, Eddie… if only you knew the kinds of things you make me feel _ .

~~~

“Richie, I’ve told you this five times before, and I’m telling you again… you’re an idiot.”

“How am I an idiot?” Richie sighed. He was growing more and more upset by the minute, and he was seriously considering ending the video call with Stan if the blonde refused to shut up about the “Eddie issue”, as he was now calling it. “Eddie is taking some other boy to homecoming… what am I supposed to do, be happy about it?”

“Well… he never definitively said that the other boy wasn’t you,” Stan pointed out.

“Yeah, and he never said that it  _ was _ me either!” Richie protested.

“Why would he tell you if he wanted it to be a surprise? Obviously he was trying to get your opinion on it so he could surprise you with it… you’re such an idiot, Richie, oh my gosh…”

Richie groaned, flopping on his back on his bed as he stared up at the slightly cracked ceiling. “Yes, I know, Stan. I’m an utter moron and I should never be allowed to make decisions ever again. Now what do you suggest I do?”

Stan rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers in pure exasperation. “How about this… if you’re so convinced that he’s asking another boy… then ask him first. Ask Eddie to go to homecoming with you before he asks this other person. Problem solved.” 

Richie shook his head, his fingers sinking into the bed sheets beneath him. “I can’t, Stan. I can’t ask him…”

“Give me one good reason why you shouldn’t ask him.”

“I’m too nervous!”

“I said a good reason.” Stan’s voice sounded purely desperate at this point, and the frustration was obvious in his voice. “Man up and tell him you love him, Richie. I don’t know how else to tell you this.”

Riche stayed quiet for a few seconds, staring up at the ceiling as Stan continued lecturing him and draping his arm over his face. Now that he thought about it, his excuses seemed rather silly.  _ God damn it… you fell in love with Eddie because of how sweet he is, you idiot! You seriously think that he’s gonna stop liking you if he doesn’t feel the same way?  _ “I hate to admit it, Stan… but you’re right. Per usual.”

“I know I am.” Stan seemed quite satisfied with himself, a little smirk making its way across his face. “Tell you what… I’m coming over.”

“What? Why?”

“We’re going to Target. We’re buying candy, we’re buying stuffed animals, and we’re going straight to Eddie’s house so you can ask him.” Through the small screen of the video call, Richie could already that Stan was grabbing his car keys and hurriedly tugging a sweater on. “I hope you’re ready to leave, cause I’ll be there in five minutes.” 

“Stan, wait, I---” Richie trailed off as Stan hung up, dropping his phone on the bed. “Fuck.” He wasn’t ready to ask Eddie at all… although he now wanted to do it, he didn’t plan on doing it right that instant, not in the slightest. However, there was no going back now, since if Stan was true to his word, he would be driving down the road in his beat-up Honda at about thirty miles above the speed limit at this point. The fact that he lived only a half mile away didn’t help either, and only helped to fuel his building anxiety.

Sure enough, within a few minutes, Richie heard a series of loud beeps coming from the street below. Making his way to the front door and opening it, he sighed when he saw Stan parked half on the sidewalk and half on the road, slapping his horn repeatedly with the palm of his hand. “Richie! Hurry up and get in the car, your man is escaping!”  
“He’s not my man…” Richie grumbled, walking down the steps and climbing into the passenger seat.

“Not yet, that is.” Stan attempted to rev the engine; however, all that happened was a weird sputtering noise from the steering wheel. “Shit. Let’s not do that…”

“I thought you were taking me to ask Eddie out, not fucking break your car,” Richie sighed.

“Shut up, rat… just let me work my magic.”

“Are you sure this is magic?” Richie demanded as Stan sped off down the street, almost running over a squirrel in the process. “Cause right now it just seems like an attempt to kill me.”

“No, trust me, I’m helping you right now,” Stan replied, the tires squealing in protest as he rounded a corner. “You should be thanking me right now for offering to give you a ride.”

“You didn’t  _ offer _ anything, but okay.”

“Look, you said it yourself… I’m always right.” As Stan said this, he skidded to a stop just before hitting someone’s mailbox, bumping into it the slightest bit with his front bumper. “Well… most of the time.”

“Yeah…” Richie nodded slowly, clinging to the seat as he tried to focus his mind on something,  _ anything _ besides the possibility of Stan ramming into a tree. “Most of the time.”

~~~

Richie was more terrified than he’d ever been in his entire life. As he stood on Eddie’s front lawn, holding a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates, and quite possibly the store’s entire stock of Beanie Babies in his arms, he slowly began to question his life choices, wondering where his string of misfortune had begun. Glancing over his shoulder, he bit his lip to stifle a groan when he saw Stan sitting in the front seat of the car, with a cheesy smile and a big thumbs-up. Sighing, he managed to move forward despite his shaking legs, staggering a bit as he made his way up the steps to Eddie’s front door. He almost dropped three of the stuffed animals while attempting to ring the doorbell, and was very tempted to hide behind the flowers while he waited for the door to open.

Just as Richie was considering dropping the objects in his arms and making a run for it, he heard a little click as the door opened. He could feel himself blushing as Eddie opened the door, looking absolutely adorable in a pair of black skinny jeans and an oversized pale blue sweater that complemented his eyes in the most beautiful way. Before Richie could even open his mouth and force out a coherent sentence, Eddie let out a gasp, almost dropping his phone as he took in the sight before him. “Richie! What… what’re you doing?” 

“I… I know this is probably the worst idea in the universe, and I probably sound like an idiot, but…” Richie took a deep breath to stop his rambling, squeezing one of the stuffed animals in his arms to hide how violently his hands were trembling. “Eddie… will you go to homecoming with me?”

“Oh… oh, Richie…” Eddie simply stared for a moment; then, quite suddenly, he began to laugh-- a soft, high-pitched giggle that in any other situation would be adorable. However, the sound of it filled Richie with absolute dread.  _ Oh my god… I was right, he doesn’t like me!  _ As Richie began to debate between staying in place or running back to the car, Eddie reached over and gently rested his hand on his shoulder. “Richie, I… I don’t know what to say! This whole time I was planning on asking you first, but…”

“You what?”

“I should probably just show you, shouldn’t I?” Eddie turned and retreated into the house for a few seconds, coming back with an enormous stuffed koala that was almost as big as he was. “I was gonna give this to you in school tomorrow and ask you then, but… I guess you already beat me to it, huh?”

Now Richie was the one who was speechless, almost dropping the objects in his arms due to shock. He was too stunned to focus on the fact that Stan had probably seen the whole thing and was most likely boasting to himself in the car about how he was right once again. Instead, he somehow managed to put everything down on the front porch before leaning over and scooping Eddie into the tightest hug he could. It was a bit difficult with the giant koala bear between them, but he somehow managed to wrap his arms around his midsection and lift him a few inches off the ground in the process. By the time he finally let go of Eddie and put him back down on the ground, he was a bit surprised to see a cute pink blush covering his crush’s face. “Eds, I… I’d love to! I’d love to go to homecoming with you…”

“And I’d love to go with you too!” This time, Eddie dropped the koala on the front porch and practically darted into Richie’s arms, wrapping his legs around his waist and gleefully clinging to his shoulders. The two were about the same weight, so having another body clinging to him and putting his entire weight on his torso instantly threw Richie off balance. With an embarrassingly high-pitched shriek of shock, Richie stumbled off of Eddie’s porch, eventually tripping over his feet and falling flat on his back on the front lawn. His first immediate thought upon hitting the ground was to see if Eddie was hurt, but he instantly heard the brunet letting out a string of muffled laughter as he hid his face in his chest, cute little squeaky noises that sounded like a chipmunk. The sound of Eddie’s hysterical giggles slowly but surely triggered a similar reaction in Richie as joyous peals of laughter eventually managed to escape him. He knew that a passerby would probably think they were insane-- after all, what was some random person supposed to think if they saw two teenage boys lying on top of each other on the dew-soaked grass, laughing their heads off? But that was the least of his concerns at the moment… the only thing that mattered was Eddie, who could somehow put a smile on his face with his very presence. 

“Are you two done yet?” Opening his eyes, Richie saw that Stan was leaning over them with a slightly bemused expression on his face. “I want Taco Bell, and I don’t feel like waiting here for an hour while you two make out with each other.”

“Shut up, Stan,” Richie replied. “I’ll be done in two minutes, go wait in the Honda.”

“It’s my Honda, you can’t tell me what to do!”

“Nope, nope, nope. We can share the Honda, Stan,” Richie smirked. As a frustrated Stan made his way back to the car with his shoulders hunched up around his ears, he looked back towards Eddie, who had lifted his head and was gazing at him with an unrecognizable expression. His eyes were the widest Richie had ever seen them, his nose crinkled just the slightest bit and a tiny smile decorating his features. Smiling, he pushed a strand of hair behind his ear, letting his hand linger for a bit longer than it should have. “You know what this means, right?”

“What’s that?” Eddie asked softly, one hand gently brushing against Richie’s neck and sending a little tremble through his body. “I’d love to know…”

The tiny little voice in the back of Richie’s voice was beginning to scream at him again, bellowing the words  _ kiss him, you fucker _ over and over again. Instead of complying, Richie instead decided to push his hands through Eddie’s fluffy hair before tapping the tip of his nose with his finger. “You’ve got to buy me a corsage, bitch.” 

“What? Why me?” Eddie laughed, finally sitting up and clambering off Richie’s lap. “You’re the one who should buy it! You asked me first.”

“Yeah, and you asked me second!”

“That… that doesn’t even make any sense!” Eddie squealed with a shake of his head. “I’m taking you to homecoming… isn’t that enough for you, you spork?”

“Not in the slightest,” Richie smirked with a satisfied cross of his arms. “I expect the most beautiful corsage when you show up at my house in two weeks! And there better be some blue flowers in there, or I’m suing!”

“Why blue?” Eddie whined as Richie got up and began walking back to his car.

“Because they’ll match your eyes, obviously.”

Eddie blushed for the second time in several minutes, a flustered little giggle escaping him as he shyly made eye contact with Richie. “Oh. Of course… I’ll be sure to get you some blue ones.”

“That’s more like it!”

“Wait!” In an instant, Eddie turned around and ran to his porch, returning with the enormous stuffed koala. “You’ve got to take your bear home…”

“I’m not sticking that thing in the back of my fucking Honda!” Stan practically screamed from the front seat. “There’s fragile things back there, they’ll get crushed!”  
“What kind of fragile things? Is my self esteem back there too?” Richie chuckled. 

Eddie let out a tiny chuckle at the joke, awkwardly shifting back and forth as he clung to the oversized bear. “...so, where do you want me to put it? I want you to have it…”

“Tell you what, I’ll hold onto him in the front seat, okay?” Richie offered as he took the bear from Eddie, patting him on the head with a smile. “Don’t you worry… I’ll keep him safe.”

“Thank you…” Eddie beamed up at Richie with a look of pure joy on his features.

“No problem, Eddie-Spaghetti.”

“Hey, I thought you stopped calling me that in fifth grade!” Eddie laughed. His hands instantly darted up around his face to hide the fairly obvious blush already growing there, his fingers just barely poking out of the baggy and oversized sleeves. “Are you gonna start calling me that again?” 

“That’s the plan.” With a cheesy grin, Richie somehow managed to climb into the front seat with the giant koala, closing the door before hiding his face in its soft and fluffy fur. “Fuck… I did it, Stan, are you happy now?”

“Oh, I’m  _ very _ happy. Especially because I was right again,” Stan smirked. “I told you… I’m always right.”

“Hey, I said you were right most of the time!” Richie pointed out as Stan started the engine and set off at full speed down the road. “Uh… are you sure we should be going this fast?”

“I paid for the whole speedometer, I’m going to use the whole speedometer,” Stan replied, seemingly ignoring the sound of the tires squealing in distress as he skidded around the corner. “Besides, you were the one who asked me for a ride, y’know…”

“I never asked you for  _ anything _ !” Richie shrieked as the two almost rammed into a tree, wincing as the blonde managed to turn the car around at the last minute. “Right-- that’s it. Switch seats with me, I’m driving.”

“But it’s my Honda! And I don’t feel like holding your koala!” 

“You’re just jealous ‘cause I’ve got a date, and you don’t,” Richie gloated with a cross of his arms.

Stan shook his head as he pulled over to the side of the road with a bit of difficulty. “I’m not saying anything… are you gonna be like this for the next two weeks?”

“Obviously,” Richie scoffed. “And I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”

~~~

“Richie, sweetheart, you look fine! I’ve said it already, you look great,” Mrs. Tozier repeated for the fifth time in twelve minutes, watching her son as he paced back and forth in front of his bedroom mirror. “You don’t need to worry.”

Richie let out a shaky breath he didn’t realize he had been holding in, glancing at his reflection once more with a childlike pout. He’d ended up renting a dark grey suit that was a bit too tight on him, and had bought a bright blue tie with dancing pineapples on it, just because he thought it would make Eddie laugh. However, he was now doubting his choice with great intensity, and he was considering ripping the stupid thing off on and burning it. “But what if Eddie doesn’t like it? What if he thinks I’m not formal enough?”

“I’m sure Eddie will love your tie, honey. He’s going to be here soon, how about you come downstairs so you can greet him?” Mrs. Tozier suggested as she tugged her hair up into a ponytail.

Richie shrugged his shoulders, nervously pushing his glasses up his nose with his index finger. “I guess so.” As he followed his mother down the stairs, his palms were becoming embarrassingly sweaty to how anxious he was, and he started praying to every deity imaginable that Eddie wouldn’t try to hold his hand or anything sheerly due to how damp they were. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he made a beeline towards the leather couch in the living room, sitting on the edge of one of the cushions and holding his head in his hands as his leg began bouncing with nervousness.  _ Oh god, I don’t think I can do this… what if he thinks I look silly? What if he doesn’t talk to me the whole time? What if he… _

The sound of the doorbell ringing a few feet away interrupted Richie’s thoughts, and although he still felt sick to his stomach about the stupid tie, his heart still soared in his chest because of the fact that Eddie was just outside his front door. Sure, Eddie had visited his house dozens of times before, but this time was different, sheerly because of what they were about to do that night. Tripping over his own feet in the process, Richie stumbled to the front door, managing to unlock it and open it with a bit of difficulty-- his hands were still quite shaky. When he eventually got the heavy oak door open all the way, his spirit practically left his body, the words  _ oh fuck, he’s hot _ running on loop in his mind. And Eddie did indeed look hot… his navy-blue suit clung to his slightly feminine body in all the right places, his usually wild and frizzy hair neatly slicked back and his nails painted with a glossy black lacquer. Richie could barely speak, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to; in fact, he would perfectly content standing in the doorway taking in Eddie’s beauty for the entire night.

When Eddie finally broke the silence, his voice was soft and shaky, even more so than it usually was. “H-hey, Richie…” With a shy smile, he held out the corsage box in his trembling hands, and Richie was pleasantly surprised to see that the corsage inside contained a gorgeous mix of blue and white flowers. “I, uh… I made sure to get some blue ones for you…”

“Aw, thanks, Eds! I knew I could count on you…” Gently taking the box from Eddie, Richie held it up next to the brunet’s face, glancing back and forth between his crush and the flowers with a grin. “I was right. They do kinda match.”

“They do? Thank you…” Eddie blushed, his eyes darting down to look at his feet for a brief moment before shifting back up to meet Richie’s. “I… I like your tie.”

“Really? I thought it was silly…” Richie smiled, sheepishly looking down at the ground and twisting a strand of hair around his finger.

“No, not at all!” Eddie beamed. “I think it’s…”

“Richie, you’re letting all the cold air in!” Mrs. Tozier called from the kitchen. “Don’t just leave Eddie out there, let him in and close the door!”

“Sorry!” Richie yelled back, feeling even more flustered than before when he noticed Eddie laughing as he stepped into the house. As he attempted to hide behind his hands, he felt Eddie take hold of his left wrist, and upon looking down, saw the brunet using the attached ribbon to tie the beautiful corset to his arm, binding the ends in a somewhat lopsided bow. “Thanks, Eds…”

“You’re welcome.” Eddie beamed up at Richie with a heart-stopping smile, the pupils of those big blue-grey eyes that he loved so much widening intensely as his nose scrunched up the slightest bit in the cutest fashion.  _ Fuck _ , Richie couldn’t help but think, frantically pushing his glasses up his nose to disguise how much his hands were shaking.  _ You guys are just going as friends, remember? There’s nothing romantic here at all. Eddie probably just asked you because he knew you really wanted someone to go with, probably. _ However, it was getting harder and harder to ignore his feelings, and almost every nerve in his body was screaming at him to just lean down and kiss Eddie already, even though he knew that there was a good chance it would absolutely _ not  _ end well. Just as Richie was vaguely considering running off and hiding in his bedroom for the rest of the night, he felt Eddie tugging on the sleeve of his suit jacket. “Richie? Do you wanna get going now?”

“Oh! Uh, sure!” Richie attempted to turn towards the door; however, he stopped dead in his tracks when he felt Eddie’s warm hand take hold of his own. Rather than tug his own hand away, he somehow managed to compel himself to stay still, even giving Eddie’s fingers a gentle squeeze as the two made their way outside. He was still extremely nervous, but he found that the pressure of Eddie’s hand against his palm provided a comforting warmth that he didn’t quite know he needed. With a smile, Richie gently rubbed his thumb over the top of Eddie’s hand in a slow, circular motion, stifling a squeal of happiness when he felt Eddie playfully bump his head against his shoulder. Yes, it wasn’t as if they had never innocently touched each other before-- the two had hugged, held hands, and cuddled in a joking manner many times before-- but tonight, it felt different, the possibility of something deeper and more romantic hung in the air, as light as the clouds illuminated by the moon above them. Although Richie’s anxiety was higher than it had ever been for the past few weeks, the sensation of his trembly hand enveloped in Eddie’s somewhat steady one helped to keep him grounded, in a strange sense. In fact, when Eddie let go of his hand a few seconds later to get in the car, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment in his chest, wishing in a strange way that Eddie would keep only one hand on the steering wheel so that his other was free for the taking. 

“Hopefully you’re a better driver than Stan,” Richie joked as Eddie began backing the car out of the driveway. “The last time I rode with him he almost hit three squirrels…”

“Richie, he’s said it himself. Gay people can’t drive,” Eddie joked. In the same instant, he slammed on the brakes just in time to keep himself from mowing down Richie’s mailbox, stopping dead in the driveway for a solid ten seconds before moving on. Richie raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Eddie until the brunet burst into laughter. “Okay. Maybe he was right.”

“Okay then… wait.” Richie stopped as Eddie set off down the road, swerving wildly in the process. “You… you’re gay?”  
“Well… I don’t know. I don’t really want to put a label on it yet…” Eddie shrugged, clinging tight to the steering wheel as he skidded off down the street. “I mean… on one hand, girls are pretty cute… but on the other hand, guys are _really_ cute… you know what I mean?”

“I mean, I guess…” Richie looked out the window, watching as the trees and houses zipped by in a multicolored blur. “I never really found girls cute, though… if I’m being honest, there’s only one boy that I’ve really had feelings for, too…”

“Me too…” Even though Richie couldn’t see Eddie’s face, he could tell that his crush was smiling just from his tone of voice. “He’s one of my best friends… but I don’t want to tell him how I feel. I don’t know if he feels the same way… and it might just make things awkward between us if he doesn’t, y’know?”

“Same… but at the same time, I just wanna give in and tell him just to get it over with, y’know?” Richie replied, turning to Eddie with a little smile. “I hate having to keep it a secret…”

“I… I honestly feel like that too.” The two made eye contact for a split second, some unspoken, mutual feeling of  _ I understand _ passing through the air. For a brief second, Richie considered reaching across the center console and tugging Eddie closer to him by the collar of his bleached white button-down. As he was about to do so, however, the car went over an extreme dip in the road, causing the engine to let out a huff and a squeal of protest. Eddie let out a little mumble that sounded like a swear, quickly grabbing hold of the steering wheel with both hands and sheepishly grinning over at Richie as his cheeks went pink. “Oops.” 

“Gays really can’t drive, can they?” Richie chuckled, running his fingers through his bangs.

“Fuck you!” Eddie replied, his lips curving down into a cute little pout as his lacquered nails slowly picked at the leather material on the steering wheel. “You’re so mean…”

“You know you love it, Eds,” Richie teased, reaching over and gently pinching Eddie’s cheek and causing the brunet to squeal with embarrassment. “Aw…”

“Shut up! I’m not cute…” Eddie sighed, his head dropping down a bit as he let out a bitter chuckle.

“At least you’re not as ugly as me,” Richie joked; however, he wanted to say the complete opposite to Eddie instead:  _ You’re not ugly at all… you’re the most gorgeous person in the world. _ With a sigh, Richie turned back to face the window, the two of them sitting in pleasant, calming silence until Eddie finally parked in front of the school. As Richie stepped out of the car, taking in the refreshingly cool night air, he watched gleefully as Eddie darted towards him, eagerly linking their fingers again. At this point, he was used to it, and if Eddie wanted to hold his hand all night, he wasn’t complaining. 

“Eddie! Richie!” Glancing over, Richie instantly saw that Bill, Mike, Ben, and Bev were making their way towards them, with Stan at the front of the pack. “We were waiting for you guys… were you making out in the back of Eddie’s Subaru before you left?”

“ _ No _ !” Eddie practically shrieked, ignoring how much the others were beginning to laugh. “I just got lost on the way here…”

“You did not, you almost popped a tire while driving over a pothole and we had to stop for ten minutes to make sure the car was still useable,” Richie corrected. 

“Richie!” Eddie whined. “You’re awful…”

“Alright, you guys can stop flirting now,” Bev giggled. “We should get inside, it’s freezing!”

As the group made their way indoors, Richie and Eddie stuck to the back, their fingers still tightly intertwined with each other. Richie knew Stan was glancing back at them every few seconds with a knowing grin on his face, but he ignored it. The only thing that mattered to him at that moment was Eddie, who was smiling and laughing next to him as he talked to Mike about something. He lovingly bumped his head against Eddie’s shoulder for a brief moment, grinning when Eddie smiled and squeezed his hand before turning back to Mike.

Upon pushing past the heavy double doors of the gymnasium, Richie was somewhat caught off-guard by how loud and bright the room was, squinting a bit as the beam one of the flashing multicolored lights hit him directly in the eye. Rubbing his eyelid with his fist, he suddenly felt an overwhelming rush of anxiety as the others made their way onto the dance floor.  _ Shit. I can’t dance… what was I thinking? I’m gonna look so stupid… _

“Richie? Don’t you feel like dancing?” Eddie asked as he clung to Richie’s arm.

“I… I don’t know.”

“That’s alright…” Eddie smiled, leading Richie over to a chair and easing him down into it. “You don’t have to do it right now if you don’t feel comfortable… would you feel better if we just sat here for a while until you feel ready?”

“Yeah…” Richie nodded, still in awe of how sweet Eddie was being towards him, even in his panicky and nervous state. He watched as Eddie pulled up another plastic chair near him, instantly scooting closer to him and timidly resting his head on his shoulder. In the next instant, he felt Eddie pull his arm around him and squeeze him tight. Grinning, Richie moved over so he was practically on Eddie’s lap, resting his head on his chest and trailing his finger up and down his skinny bicep. He instantly stiffened up when he felt Eddie begin to run his fingers through his hair, but eventually realized that it felt quite relaxing, and eased into the gesture, eagerly rubbing against Eddie’s fingertips like a cat nuzzling against its owner. “That feels nice…”

“It does? I didn’t know if you would like it or not…” Eddie giggled. “Do you want me to keep doing it?”

“Sure thing, Eddie Spaghetti,” Richie laughed, wrapping both arms around Eddie’s narrow waist and pressing his forehead against his neck. 

“Richie…” Eddie whined. “You know I hate that nickname…”

“How come?”

“Because! It’s silly…” Even though the two were tucked into one of the darker corners of the room, Richie could easily see the adorable pink blush on Eddie’s cheeks. “You’re so weird…”

“I’m not as weird as you are, Spaghetti.” 

“Are you guys done yet?” Bev sighed as she made her way towards the two, adjusting the right sleeve of her dress. “Stan won’t keep talking about how the two of you are probably making out over here or something.” 

“We’re just talking!” Eddie pouted, looking down at the floor. With a sigh, he turned back to Richie and raised an eyebrow. “Do you feel like getting up now? I don’t want to push you, but…”

“I mean… sure. If you want to,” Richie replied, trying his best not to stumble over his words.

“Great!” Eddie didn’t seem to notice how nervous Richie was, hopping to his feet and grabbing his hand before pulling him towards the others. Even though he was still extraordinarily anxious, the sheer look of carefree happiness on Eddie’s face somehow managed to comfort him the slightest bit. As Eddie almost tripped over his own feet, Richie managed to grab his arm to slow him down but the brunet didn’t seem too bothered, letting out an adorable burst of laughter before playfully spinning him around in a circle. Richie couldn’t help but laugh as well, squeezing his friend’s hands as tight as he could and swinging him around until both of them became too dizzy to continue, skidding to a stop and breathing heavily while still giggling softly every few seconds. Upon looking and catching sight of Eddie’s face, his nose scrunched up as he laughed and his cheeks still an adorable rosy pink, the noiret felt his heart flip over in his chest, the words  _ fuck, he’s cute _ running in his mind over and over again. For the first time in several hours, he didn’t feel nervous at all. As long as Eddie was right there with him, he would be okay. At least, he hoped so.

~~~

Even though most of his anxiety had managed to fade, that didn’t mean that Richie wasn’t completely cured. In fact, there was one event that would inevitably occur at some point that night, and it was filing Richie with fearful anticipation. This event was the dreaded slow dance, the one part of the evening that somehow turned every girl in the vicinity into a screaming mess, as though the dance in question was at their own weddings instead of a high school homecoming. And as soon as the first few chords of the cheesy piano music started echoing through the speakers, Richie could tell that the eyes of all of his friends except Eddie were on him. He attempted to shut the idea down right away, instantly making a beeline towards the darkened corner of the room while praying that none of the others would try to follow him.

However, Richie didn’t have the best of luck, especially in situations like this. He had barely taken two steps before Bev grabbed his arm and turned him around. “Don’t even think about it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Richie replied, stubbornly crossing his arms.

“Richie, you know what I mean. Get over there and ask him if he wants to dance,” Bev sighed as she gestured towards Eddie, who was leaning against one of the walls talking with Bill and Ben. “I thought you wanted him to like you back…”

“I do! It’s just… I’m still nervous, Bev. I’m so, so,  _ so _ nervous.” Richie collapsed into a nearby chair, resting his head in his hands and biting his lip in an attempt to stifle the tears welling in his eyes. “What if he doesn’t want to? I don’t want him to hate me if he doesn’t like me back.”

“Richie… Richie, look at me, okay?” Crouching down in front of Richie, Bev took both of his hands in her own, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “Eddie’s not going to hate you. He’s your best friend, okay? He loves you… even if it’s just as a friend or as something more, he loves you. He’s not going to hate you over something like this.”

“Are you sure?” Richie sniffled, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand as he managed to make eye contact with Bev.

“I’m sure… now get over there and ask him, okay? You’ve got this.” Bev reassuringly patted Richie on the back before tugging him to his feet. “Go on…” 

Nodding, Richie practically ran over to Eddie, skidding to a stop in front of him and taking a split second to catch his breath. “Eddie! Uh… do you… do you wanna dance with me? I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, it’s just a suggestion--”

“Richie, calm down! I’d love to,” Eddie beamed. Before Richie could even comprehend the fact that  _ holy shit, he said yes _ , Eddie was grabbing his hand and tugging him onto the dance floor, weaving between the clusters of people before stopping somewhere in the middle and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Even though his hands were shaking again, Richie somehow managed to grab hold of Eddie’s waist, biting his lip to stifle a squeal of excitement as the brunet rested his head on his chest. The gentle, comforting weight of Eddie’s head pressing against him just beneath his chin could have made him burst into tears of joy just from how soft and loving the gesture felt. Yes, Eddie had done this exact thing quite a few times in the past, but it felt different this time, and although Richie couldn’t quite pinpoint why, he wasn’t complaining in the slightest. 

“Richie?” Eddie glanced up at Richie with a tiny little frown. “Your hands are shaking again… are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…” Richie sighed out, rubbing one of his thumbs in a tiny circle on Eddie’s hip. For some reason, he felt so compelled to just lean down and kiss Eddie… after all, it was one of the most perfect sequence of circumstances. It was as romantic as things could possibly get, and Richie was quite frankly tired as  _ fuck _ of avoiding his feelings again and again. With a shaky smile, Richie began trailing his fingers up Eddie’s side, moving from his side to his shoulder and finally stopping on his left cheek. “I guess I’m just nervous.”

“Nervous about what?” Eddie breathed out. 

“About this.” There was no going back as Richie lovingly pushed a few strands of hair from Eddie’s face, leaning close enough for their noses to bump. A split second later, Richie felt his lips brush against something… but it didn’t feel like Eddie’s mouth. Opening his eyes, he realized that Eddie had protectively put his hands in front of his face and was peeking through his fingers. His stomach sinking, Richie pulled back, helplessly watching as Eddie’s eyes began welling with tears, his face darkening with a flustered blush. “Eddie… Eddie, I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

Richie never received the opportunity to finish his sentence. With a shaky, whimper-like sob, Eddie turned on his heel and bolted, tripping over his own feet as he made his way at top speed through the crowd. Swearing repeatedly under his breath, Richie hurried after him as fast as he could, shoving a few people who couldn’t get the cue to  _ fucking move _ out of the way as he tried to keep track of Eddie’s fluffy brown hair bobbing through the crowd. Eddie might have been significantly shorter than him; however, he still ran much faster than him. By the time Richie emerged from the crowd, Eddie was nowhere to be found. 

“Shit, shit, shit…  _ fuck! _ ” Sighing, Richie made a beeline towards the bathroom, where he figured Eddie would most likely be hiding. He slowly eased the door open, knowing it had a tendency to creak-- he didn’t want to frighten Eddie and make him run away. It didn’t take long for him to notice the sound of soft, muffled whimpers coming from the handicapped stall a few feet away from him. The sound of Eddie’s tiny cries were enough to make Richie start tearing up himself-- he hated knowing that Eddie was upset, and he hated it even more knowing that it was because of him. Sighing, he timidly knocked on the door, looking down at the floor in embarrassment. “Eds?”

“Go away.”

“Come on, Eddie, please… open the door,” Richie frowned. Eddie’s crying was becoming more and more ragged, and he feared that the smaller male would end up having an asthma attack if he wasn’t careful. “I just want to talk…”

“No! I don’t want to!” Eddie cried. “Leave me alone…”

“Eddie, please! I’m sorry…” Richie sank down to his knees outside the stall, rubbing his eyes with the edge of his sleeve as he tried not to cry. “I shouldn’t have done that, I should have known it would make you upset…”

There was a small pause from the other side of the door, then: “What do you mean?”

“What do you mean, ‘ _ what do I mean _ ’?” Richie frowned. “I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you… I should have known you wouldn’t have liked it.”

At first, Eddie didn’t say anything, and Richie was briefly considering getting up and knocking the door off its hinges to make sure he was still alive in there. A second later, the door slowly swung open, and Richie looked up to see Eddie standing next to him, face streaked with tears and his chest heaving quite violently. As Richie watched in silence, Eddie sat down next to him, hurriedly fishing his inhaler out of his pocket and sticking the end of it between his lips. It was quiet for a while, the only sounds being the soft clicking noises coming from Eddie’s inhaler as he breathed in and out and the slightly muffled pounding of the music just outside the door. Finally, Eddie put his inhaler back in his pocket, looking up at Richie with a weak smile. “You honestly think I didn’t like what you tried to do back there?”

“Well, yeah… obviously. You ran off crying…”

“Richie…” Eddie let out a soft giggle, reaching over and rubbing the tears from Richie’s face with a smile. “I’m not upset with you because of that, you weirdo…”

“Well, then what did I do wrong?” Richie pouted, clinging to the front of Eddie’s shirt as he avoided eye contact with him. “I don’t know why I made you upset…”

“I guess it’s because… I’ve never really kissed anybody before and I kind of freaked out…” Eddie pushed Richie’s bangs out of his eyes before gently pulling his tear-stained glasses off his face. “But, y’know… I’d still really want to do it, if you’re up to it…” 

“...what?” It was Richie’s turn to fall silent now, his heart beating so hard and fast that he was sure Eddie could hear it echoing within the tiny room. He had set himself up for complete rejection, so hearing Eddie say that he was ready and willing to potentially make out with him had sent him into a state of complete shock. “Let me get this straight… you’re telling me you’d actually be into this?”

“I mean, there’s nothing straight about it, but yeah….” Eddie murmured.

“Hey, I’m the one who’s supposed to be the king of one-liners here!” Richie protested with a laugh.

“Well, you’d better step your game up, bub,” Eddie grinned. “Otherwise I might just steal your title…”

“I’d love to see you try.”

“And  _ I’d _ love it if you would shut up and kiss me already,” Eddie replied with a tiny smirk on his face as he grabbed hold of the collar of Richie’s shirt, tugging his face closer to his own. “Unless you’d prefer I do it instead?”

Before Richie could even fathom a response, the door swung open with an excruciatingly loud creak as Stan stepped into the room. “Hey, are you guys okay? I saw you run in here and…” Trailing off as he caught sight of the two others on the floor, he simply shook his head. “You know what? I’m not even gonna ask. You two finish up whatever the hell you’re doing…”

“We’re not doing anything!” Eddie sputtered as he frantically scrambled away from Richie and got to his feet, brushing some imaginary dust off his front. “We were just… he had something on his face. I was helping him.” 

“Yeah… helping,” Stan chuckled. “Whatever you say.”

As soon as Stan left, Eddie let out an embarrassed little whine, hiding his face in his hands. “Oh my god…”

“What’s wrong?” Richie laughed, reaching over and brushing his fingers through Eddie’s hair.

“Nothing… I’m just really upset I couldn’t kiss you,” Eddie pouted. 

“Aw, Eds… I’m flattered, but I really don’t want our first kiss to be on the floor of a bathroom,” Richie laughed.

“Well, did you have a better idea?” Eddie sighed with a cross of his arms.

“Actually, I did.” Getting up, Richie walked over to one of the small, narrow windows above the sinks, effortlessly hoisting himself up towards it despite Eddie’s small screeches of protest beneath him that he was going to get hurt if the sink gave way from under his feet. With a bit of effort, he managed to snap the rusty lock off and push the window open before leaning back and attempting to judge the size of the entrance. “Eddie, honest opinion… do you think I can get through this?”

“ _ Richie _ !” Eddie squealed. “You are  _ not _ going through there…”

“Do you want a good first kiss or not? You should be thankful I’m going through all this effort for you,” Richie replied indignantly. He attempted to flip Eddie off, but almost fell off the sink in the process and had to make a wild grab at the windowsill to keep from tumbling off and cracking his skull open. “Right. Let’s not do that anymore.” Ignoring Eddie’s whining from beneath him, Richie somehow managed to pull his entire upper body through the window, and with a bit of a struggle he was able to exit completely, dropping to the damp grass about five feet below. The splatter of the pouring rain outside began instantly splattering his glasses, and he had to squint in order to be able to see anything. Glancing up towards the window, he stood up on his tiptoes and began yelling, praying that Eddie could hear him over the thunder. “Eds! You can come out now!”

A few seconds passed; then, Richie saw Eddie’s upper body begin to move outside the window, a look of discomfort upon the brunet’s face. “It’s raining… I’m not coming out if it’s raining!”

“Come on! You’ve got to admit it’s a tiny bit romantic,” Richie replied with a sheepish grin. “Besides, you can’t just leave me out here by myself…”

“I mean, you’re right, but I think I’m stuck…” Eddie pouted, letting his upper body dangle halfway out the window as he looked down at the ground several feet below him. “Please don’t leave me here…”

“You’re hopeless, Eds…” Reaching up as high as he could, Richie took hold of Eddie’s upper arms, tugging as hard as he could until the shorter male finally came loose from the window, both of them tumbling backwards and landing on top of each other with a few soft giggles. As the two got to their feet, Richie squinted up at the moon, just barely visible through the dark grey clouds clustered above them. He turned back to Eddie, who had the cutest little pout on his face as he attempted to shield his hair from the downpour. “You wanna know why I love the rain so much?”

“Please, enlighten me. I’d love to know why you brought me out here during a fucking thunderstorm,” Eddie huffed as he shuffled closer to Richie and held on tight to his arm.

“Do you remember what happened back in seventh grade? When you wanted to have your birthday party at that water park?”

“Yeah, I remember all right…” Eddie frowned. “You were the only one who showed up, and it started raining after ten minutes so we couldn’t go on any of the rides.”

“Well yeah, but I’m talking about the other bit.” Richie sat down on the damp grass under a small overhang on the roof that just barely managed to prevent the rain from pouring down on his head and gestured for Eddie to do the same, which he did. “You were just sitting there in the rain crying… I just wanted to make you feel better.”

“I think I remember now… you bought me that little stuffed whale, right?” Eddie giggled. “I still have it, y’know…”

Richie nodded slowly, looking up at the overcast sky. “I remember just looking at you and seeing how happy you were with that whale… and I decided that I wanted to do everything in the world to make sure you were happy like that, all the time. I think… I think that was the moment I started to fall in love with you.” 

“Really?” Eddie’s eyes were growing wide again, his fingers anxiously twisting his bangs around his fingers. “I… I didn’t realize you felt that way for so long, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think you felt the same way,” Richie admitted. He couldn’t help but feel his breath catch in his throat as one of Eddie’s hands trailed down his arm, briefly ghosting over the bright blue flowers of his corsage before resting on top of his hand. “I thought that if you didn’t like me back, you’d stop talking to me because it’d be awkward between us…”

“Richie! I’d never stop talking to you, especially because of something like that!” Eddie replied. “Jesus, Rich, I love you, but sometimes you can be so fucking stupid…”

“Yeah, sometimes… wait. You love me?”

“Of course I do! Fuck, Richie, I already said I wanted to kiss you, is that not enough?” Eddie squealed.

“Hm, let me think,” Richie smirked, rubbing his chin with his fingers as though he was deep in thought. “No… but it might be enough if you  _ actually _ do it…” He wasn’t expecting Eddie to follow through on his words, so he was quite surprised when Eddie’s hands travelled up to the collar of his shirt, gently tugging him forwards as he leaned towards his face. “Oh, shit… you’re actually gonna do it, huh?”

“You asked,” Eddie shrugged. Before Richie could even come up with a witty response, Eddie had leaned over all the way and completely closed the distance between them, shocking Richie into silence. He was panicking again, but his anxiety began to die down when he realized just how soft and sweet Eddie’s lips felt against his own. The noiret barely had any time to cherish how nice it felt, since Eddie had anxiously pulled away, a dark pink blush covering his cheeks. “Was that okay? I don’t know if I was doing it right or not…”

Rather than answering, Richie slipped his arms around Eddie’s shoulders, tugging him forward and kissing him for a second time. This time, Eddie didn’t attempt to pull away after a split second, instead happily leaning against him and slipping his fingers up into the baby-fine wisps of hair at the nape of his neck. When the two broke apart after several lingering moments, Richie kept his eyes closed for a split second, wanting to savor the moment for as long as possible. He only allowed them to open when he felt Eddie push his bangs out of his face and lovingly kiss his forehead. “There you go… I thought you fell asleep, silly…”

Richie still felt a bit too flustered to speak, bashfully wrapping his arms around Eddie’s waist and hiding his face in his chest. “You’re a good kisser, y’know…”

“Aw, really?” Eddie giggled, rubbing one hand up and down Richie’s back. “Thank you…”

The two sat in the rain for a few minutes while embracing each other, and although both of them were shivering from the cold, neither of them felt like moving. Eventually, however, Eddie’s fingers began turning blue, and Richie decided that it wouldn’t be beneficial to either of them if his friend ( _ were they still friends? Boyfriends? He would have to ask Eddie about it _ ) got hypothermia. “How about we go back inside and warm up? The others are probably wondering where we are.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Eddie smiled, getting up and pulling Richie to his feet. “Do you want me to help you first?”

With a nod of his head, Richie somewhat clumsily climbed on top of Eddie’s shoulders, grabbing the windowsill and tugging himself in. He ended up tumbling all the way in and landing on the ground with a pained squeak, taking a brief moment to rub his sore back before hopping back up on the sinks and reaching blindly out the window-- his head was so close to the ceiling that he could barely bend down and see. “Eds! Grab my hands, okay?” Sure enough, within a few seconds he felt Eddie’s freezing-cold hands gripping his own, and he made every effort possible to lift him up. Once he’d managed to get most of Eddie’s body through the window, he wrapped his arms around his torso, giving one more hefty tug until the brunet finally popped through the opening, causing Richie to almost lose his balance. 

“Well, that was something…” Eddie laughed as he climbed off the sink and brushed off his front. With a smile, he took hold of Richie’s hand and squeezed it before tugging him towards the door and pushing it open. The music was still pounding as loud as ever, but for some reason, Richie didn’t mind it as much this time. Eddie instantly made a beeline towards the rest of their friends, waving Richie’s hand above his head like a trophy. “Guys! Guess what?”

“It’s about t-time!” Bill replied with a satisfied smile.

“So when’s the wedding?” Stan asked, instantly darting over and patting Richie on the back.

“Shut up, rat,” Richie huffed, not bothering to hide the smile on his face. 

“Aw, Richie, don’t be mean to him…” Eddie whined with a pout. 

“Fine, I’m sorry…” Richie shrugged his shoulders as Eddie pulled him over to a darkened corner of the room and leaned up towards his face. “...what’re you doing, Spaghetti?”

“Uh, I know this is probably a stupid question, and I probably sound like an idiot for asking, but…” Eddie let out a shaky little sigh as he clung to the front of Richie’s shirt, a tiny timid smile making its way across his face. “...do you want to go out with me? Like, I know that you already kissed me and I kind-of-sort-of said that I love you, but I just wanna make sure…”

“I… I honestly wanted to ask you the same thing,” Richie admitted with a nervous little chuckle. “I wasn’t sure if it was just a one-time thing, or…”

“...yeah.” Eddie nodded. “So, uh… is that a yes?”

“I mean, it can be a yes if you want it to be,” Richie laughed.

“So it’s a yes?”  
“Yep. Biggest ‘yes’ in all of fucking Derry.”

“That sounds like a euphemism for something,” Eddie pointed out.

“It probably is, but I honestly don’t care,” Richie shrugged, breaking into a smile as Eddie lovingly pulled him back down for another kiss.

Maybe Richie didn’t have as much of a problem anymore.


End file.
